Oil-seal insulator



G. R. LEWERS.

OIL SEAL INSULA'I'OR.

APPLICATION FILED Now-8. 191s.

Patented Sept. 19, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

ald

Cold uaf'gr ouHer @uw a. @www G. R. LEWERS.

OIL SEAL INSULATOR.

APPLlcAnoN FILED Nov. a. 1918.

Patented Sept. 19, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. cold Qreroul'l 'l drolcoc Patented Sept. 19, 1 922.

UNITED lSTATI-:s

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE R. LEWERS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO RESEARCH CORPORA- TION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., l CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ort-smi. msum'roa.

Application led November 8', 1918. Serial No. 261,677.

To @ZZ whom/t may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE R. Lnwnns, a citizen of the United States, residing at 11 So. Portland Ave., Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oil-Seal Insulators, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to high-ten- 10 sion insulations for electrically separating a conductor from a structure through which it passes. While this insulator may find appllcatlon 1n various branches of the electri- 'cal field, it is more particularly intended forl use in connection with .electrical precipitators.

It is an object of the invention to construct an insulator which will adequately insulate a structure for a potential difference which may vary from 50,000150,000 volts. Another object is the construction of an insulator which will serve to provide the insulation referred to and at the same time effect a sealingl of the opening through which it passes.

It is the more particular object to construct an electric precipitator of the closed chamber type which is safely insulated from the usual high-tension conductor.

The invention willV be more fully described in the specification and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

For a fuller understanding reference is had to the appended drawings in which- Figure 1 is a vertical central section through a device embodying the invention;

Figure 2 a horizontal section approximately on line 2*-2, of Figure 1; and.

Figures 3 and 4 are a vertical section and plan view respectively of a modification.

Having reference to Figures 1 and 2, 10 is the conductor to beinsulated and 11 the structure through which it passes. This structure is conventionally represented as an electric precipitating chamber in which is housed a discharge electrode system 12. For the sake of convenience this electrode system is shown as supported by the conductor 10 itself. This is of course not material,

since the electrode system may be supported in any of a number of ways found suitable in practice and the conductor 10 may simply perform its usual function of conducting the current to the-discharge electrode or electrode system comprising a plurality of separate electrodes 13 as indicated.l

The conductor passes through an opening 14 provided for that purpose in the top wall of the casing or chamber. This opening is of ample width to eliminate all possibility of flash over and may be far in excess of the width required theoretically. Above the opening 14 and seated on a fiat support, which may be the top of the chamber, is a relatively shallow tank 15, preferably of circular form. This tank is preferably.

made of one piece of suitable metal or the separate parts may be welded together to avoid open seams or any other form of coinstruction may be resorted to in order to safely contain oil therein under the conditions of operation of an electrical treater for treating hot gases. The tank 15 is of annular shape defining a passage 17 for the conductor 10. This passage, like the opening 14, is preferably wide enough to avoid all possible danger of discharge from the con ductor.

On the conductor 10 is mounted a cylindrical hood 18 of such diameter that the cylindrical wall 19 will occupy a position midway between the walls of the annular tank 15. The hood 18 has a sleeve portion 20 fitting over the conductor 10 and a tight fit may be had by the use of ebertite or other suitable packing material forced between the conductor and the sleeve 20. To eliminate the strain on the packing due to the weight of the hood and obviate a leak, a collar 21 may be attached to the conductor 10 as by screws 22. While the tank 15 and hood 18 are preferably made of metal, they Amay be made of any other suitable material.

The tank is filled with a suitable oil to a level which is above the lower edge of the hood 18. The width of the annular tank..its

height land the height of the cylindrical portion 19 mayvary with the voltage applied and other conditions to be considered.

In order to prevent disintegration or rapid evaporation of the oil when used in connection with hot burner precipitators, a/

means for cooling the oil is provided in the formof a pipe system 23, along the bottom of the tank for water circulation. A. drain cock 24 may be provided to draw ofi.1 the oil when desired so that the tank may be filled with a fresh supply.

Figures 3 and 4; show a device which is generally the same as the device just described and differs therefrom only as to the cooling means. In place of a pipe cooler a water jacket 26 is used. This water jacket surrounds the tank 25 and may be connected to a water circulation system by the inlet 27 and outlet 28 respectively. If desired or necessary both the water jacket and the cooling coil may be applied.

It is thus obvious that by the arrangement described is provided an efficient insulatorofrug ed construction and simultaneously a sea? for the opening through which the conductor passes to prevent the escape of the gases under treatment or leakage in general.

It is to be noted that in the past there existed the dihculty of making the insulation between the conductor effective under various conditions, especially in connection with the treatment of gases containing constituents which in the condensed form are electrical conductors.

Partial condensation usually takes place, although perhaps to a very small extent. The additive action of such condensation forms gradually a connected deposit on the treater wall and on the insulator material and electrically bridges the dielectric, thereby rendering the insulation ineffective and causing a break down of the treater.

'With the construction proposed in the foregoing, such contingency is avoided. There is no mechanical connection between the inner wall of the tank and the conductor. The only mechanical connection between the conductor and the treater chamber is the body of oil. No conducting deposit, layer or film can be formed on the oil and more- 1 over the oil can be drawn ofi and renewed from time to time without inconvenience.

While insulators of the ordinary material cannot be made as a commercial article in point of cost, an insulator of ythe present construction is relatively cheap so that its size is lnot limited by the cost of making it. The size may therefore be made such as to provide safety far in excess of the theoretical requirement. The insulation afforded thereby yis not easily broken down by such iniiuences as bring about the break down of the ordinary insulators.

The hood may be supported by the conductor itself as shown or, if desired, separate means may be provided for the support of the hood, so that the conductor need not carry the weight of the hood. j

It is understood that various changes may be made within the scope of the preceding disclosure. While I contemplate to use as a preferred embodiment of the invention the forms described in detail in connection with a particular type of structure, I am aware that by suitably modifying certain detail, the principle explained may be applied to other and different structures to produce the advantageous results as above described.

In the claims the term annular is used in a broader sense and is intended to include all vessels or tanks having' a central opening dening a passage for the conductor, whether such vessels or tanks be circular or angular in general outline.

claim 1. The combination with a structure having an opening and an electrical conductor passing therethrough, of means for insulating said structure from the conductor, said means comprising an annular vessel seated on the structure and defininga central passage substantially in alignment with said opening, a hood having a portion extending into the space defined by the inner and outer wall of the annular vessel, and an insulating medium in the annular vessel forming a seal between the latter and the hood. the hood having a central aperture through which the conductor passes.

2. The combination with a structure having an opening and an electrical conductor p passing therethrough, of means for insulatlng said structure from the conductor, said means comprising an annular vessel seated on the structure and defining a central passage substantially in alignment with said opening, a hood having a portion extending into the space defined by the inner and outer wall of the annular Vessel, a liquid insulating medium in the annular vessel forming a seal between the latter and the hood, the hood having a central aperture through which the conductor passes, and means for securing the hood to the conductor.

3. The combination with an electrical precipitator chamber having an opening in its top wall and an electrical conductor passing therethrough, of means for insulating said wall from the conductor, said means comprising an annular vessel seated on the outer side of said wall and defining a central passage substantially in alignment with said opening, a hood aving a portion extending into the space defined by the inner and outer wall of the annular vessel, a liquid insulating medium in the annular vessel forming a seal between the latter and the hood, the hood having a central aperture through which the conductor passes, and means for hood to the conductor.

4. The combination with an electrical precipitator chamber for hot gases having an opening in its top wall and an electrical conductor passing therethrough, of means for insulating said wall from the conductor, said means comprising an annular vessel seated securing the' on the outer side of said wall and defining a central passage substantially in alignment with said opening, a hood having a portion extending into the space defined by the inner and outer wall of the annular vessel, a liquid insulating medium in the annular vessel forming a seal between the latter and the hood, the hood having a central aperture through which the conductor passes, means for securing the hood to the conductor and means for cooling the insulating medium.

5. The combination with a structure having an opening and an electrical conductor passin therethrough, of means for insulating said structure from the'conductor, said means comprising an annular vessel seated on the structure and defining a central passage substantially in alignment with said opening, a hood having a portion extending into the space defined by the inner and outer wall of the annular vessel, a liquid insulating medium in the annular vessel forming a vseal between the latter and the hood, the

hood having a central aperture through which the conductor passes, means for securing the hood to the conductor and an outlet at the bottom of the annular vessel.

6. The combination with a structure hav.- ing an opening and an electrical conductor assing therethrough, of means for providing'an insulating seal between the said structure and the conductor, said means comprising an element extending transversely of the opening and having the form of an annular vessel, a second element having a flange portion substantially concentric with and extending into space defined by the inner and the outer wall of the annular chamber, and an insulating medium in the annular vessel forming a seal between the latter and the said flange portion, one of said elements being carried by the structure referred to and forming a gas-tight connection between the structure and the seal and the other element being carried by the conductor and forming gas-tight connection between the conductor kand the seal.

7. The combination with a structure having an opening4 and an electric Aconductor assing therethrough, of means for providing an insulating seal between the sald structure and4 the conductor, said means comprising an element having the form of an annular vessel, a secondelement having a flange portion substantially concentric with and extending into the space defined by the inner and the outer Wall of the annular chamber, and a mobile insulating medium in the annular vessel forming a seal between the latter and the said flange portion, one of the said elements being carried by the structure referred to and forming a gas-tight connection between the structure and the seal and the other element being carried by the conductor and forming a gastigllit connection between the latter and the sea 8. The combination with a structure having an opening and an electric conductor passing therethrough, of an element having the form of an'annular vessel whose width between the inner and outer Wall approaches in size the diameter of the opening, an element having a flange portion substantially concentric with anr extending into the space defined by the inner and outer wall of the annular vessel, and a mobile insulating medium in the annular vessel forming a seal between the latter and the flange portion, one of said elements being carried by the structure referred to and forming a gastight connection between the structure and the seal and the other element being carried by the conductor and forming a gastight connection between the latter and the seal.

9. The combination with a structure having an opening and an electric conductor passing therethrough, of an annular vessel seated on the structure and having a central passage of substantially the same diameter as the said opening and in alignment therewith, a hood having a portion extending into the space defined by the inner and the outer wall of the annular vessel, a mobile insulating medium in the annular vessel forming a seal between the latter and the hood, the hood having a central aperture through which the conductor passes.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

- GEORGE R. L EWERS. 

